A Whimsical, Cottage Wedding in Perth, Ontario

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Date

June 4, 2011

Guests

120

Budget

$25,000

Theme

After getting engaged over breakfast, Adrienne and Sylvain celebrated a whimsical cottage wedding just as sweet as their relationship. Selecting a riverside location for the ceremony, Adrienne and Sylvain exchanged vows in Stewart Park. Afterwards, the pair — who initially met when Sylvain offered to help Adrienne with her bags — joined their 120 guests for a reception at Code’s Mill on the Park. Reflecting its rustic setting, the whimsical cottage wedding incorporated several natural elements in the decor, including leaf place cards and arrangements of moss and wood. “I was thrilled how it all came together,” explains Adrienne, who handmade the whimsical woodland centrepieces. A sweet touch to the whimsical cottage wedding, Adrienne and Sylvain personally distributed homemade truffles to their guests, who also received homemade still and sparkling wine as favours.

<strong>About the couple</strong><br />
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<strong>Bride:</strong> Adrienne Fowlie <br />
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<strong>Groom:</strong> Sylvain Larocque<br />
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<strong>How they met:</strong> "I was struggling to carry a number of bags and books from my car to my office, when a handsome guy offered to help me," explains Adrienne. "He gallantly insisted on carrying my things from the parking lot to my office, and then he left! Sylvain worked in the same building, and so we saw each other a few times in passing. One day a few months later, I was getting into my car when he was leaving the building. He spotted me, walked right over, and asked me out. After a few weeks of dating, Sylvain surprised me and showed up at my birthday party at the cottage. He’d managed to find the place in pitch dark at 11:30 at night. That’s when I asked myself, who is this guy?"<br />
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<strong>Engagement story:</strong> “Sylvain and I are very busy. However, we make time every day to eat breakfast together. In particular, Sylvain always makes me my morning tea," Adrienne recalls. "One typical Monday morning before work, I picked up my tea cup, and found it empty, except for a beautiful ring. It took me a moment to process what was going on, and then I looked over to find Sylvain bent on one knee! Unbeknownst to me, he’d had the ring for over a year, and had already asked for my parent’s permission."<br />

<strong>Wedding date:</strong> June 4, 2011<br />
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<strong>Wedding theme:</strong> Whimsical elegance, reminiscent of the outdoors and motifs that were quintessentially "cottage" <br />
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<strong>Guests:</strong> 120 <br />
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<strong>Budget:</strong> $25,000 <br />
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<strong>Best moment:</strong> "Everyone LOVED our twist on a French-Canadian tradition: the 'sock dance'," says Adrienne. "My brother was made to dance in ridiculous knee-high socks, accompanied by our fiddler and band. Soon, all the unmarried men joined in. It really got the party going!"<br />
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<strong>Favourite detail:</strong> "My favourite details were the table decorations. I made everything on the tables, and I was thrilled how it all came together to capture my theme and desired feel," explains Adrienne.<br />
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<strong>Wedding song:</strong> "(Baby) You Got What It Takes" by Michael Bublé. "Sylvain and I loved our first dance that was choreographed to this song. We'd been secretly taking lessons for months since we favour swing dancing. Our guests loved it," says Adrienne. <br />
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<strong>Honeymoon:</strong> "Two uninterrupted days together at Chateau Montbello in Quebec immediately after the wedding. Then a trip to Madagascar, and while en route we spent three days in Paris," says Adrienne.<br />